States say they will sue company if payment not made

States say they will sue company if payment not made <br><br>(Oklahoma City-AP) -- Oklahoma and other states waiting on a portion of a 2-point-6 (b) billion dollar payment from Philip Morris say they will

Saturday, April 5th 2003, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

States say they will sue company if payment not made

(Oklahoma City-AP) -- Oklahoma and other states waiting on a portion of a 2-point-6 (b) billion dollar payment from Philip Morris say they will take the company to court if they don't pay.

Last week the tobacco company told the nation's state attorneys general that it was uncertain whether it would make the payment by April 15th.

Philip Morris officials say they are waiting to see if an Illinois judge will require the company to pay a 12 (b) billion dollar appeal bond in an Illinois case.

Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson says Oklahoma expects to get 53-point-4 (m) million dollars in April.

Sixty percent of the tobacco money received goes into a tobacco trust fund and 40 percent goes to the state's general fund.